Another Reason to Go to New Zealand

This doesn't need a caption.

I’ve always wanted to to visit New Zealand, a country known for its diverse climates and beautiful scenery. But now I’m thinking about moving there. I feel fortunate to live in America and enjoy many civil liberties that people in oppressed countries can only dream about. However, I’m frustrated by the political rhetoric in our increasingly ineffective government and I’m tired of our society’s intellectual and spiritual decline. The Book of Mormon prophet Jacob offers some perspective in 2 Nephi 10 when he says that America will be a land of liberty that is protected against other nations by God their king.  Lehi says in 2 Nephi 1 that God will lead immigrants into the country and that America will remain a land of liberty as long as people serve God and keep his commandments. If people sin, however, then they will not prosper but will suffer at the hands of other nations. This is just my speculation, but I think that the political, economic, and social problems in the U.S. stem from an increasingly unrighteous society. Maybe this is God’s way of punishing us. Meanwhile, New Zealand was ranked #1 on this year’s Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) Report, which “ranks countries and territories according to their perceived levels of public sector corruption.” The central message of this year’s report was that “more transparency and accountability is needed from our leaders,” and the report especially emphasized the low rankings of Arab Spring countries. New Zealand is also ranked #5 on last year’s Human Development Indicator (HDI), a United Nations program designed to measure national development not only with conventional figures like GDP but also with “three basic dimensions of human development: health, education and income.” As a comparison, the U.S. ranked #24 on the CPI and #4 on the HDI. In sum, New Zealand has a clean, efficient government and a high standard of living. These are logical reasons to move there. My personal reasons to move there are (1) I love New Zealand accents, especially Maori accents, (2) Real men play rugby not football (haha), and (3) the haka is so cool. So kia ora Aotearoa (hello New Zealand), someday.


photo: predictweather.com

Piercings

Disgusting piercings.

Last week I went Black Friday shopping at the Grand Teton Mall in Idaho Falls, ID. I don’t know much about Idaho, except that it is a conservative state with lots of LDS people and tasty potatoes. But with my limited knowledge of Idahoan culture, I was surprised to see how many people had multiple piercings. It wasn’t just the salespeople in Hot Topic and Zumiez who are basically required to have many piercings, but also the ordinary shoppers (well, not really ordinary, since they were crazy enough to get up at 4am like me) who were roaming around. I told this to Sister Purse (who I was staying with over thanksgiving break) and she speculated that those kids might be trying to rebel against Mormon culture or ward off potential proselytizers. My experience with people who have piercings is fairly limited. I went to a conservative medium-sized high school where most girls wore 2-5 earrings and about 10% of the boys in my senior class had 1-2 earrings. The three most extreme stories I’ve heard about piercings are (1) a girl (who later transferred out of my school) got her belly button pierced to fit in with her older friends, (2) one of my best friends disobeyed her parents to get her nose pierced and she now has 6-7 piercings, and (3) one of my BYU peers pierced her own ear a second time so she now wears 3 piercings. But as I go out of my high school/college bubble I’ve noticed more and more teenagers getting their lips, cheeks, eyebrows, chins, and other places pierced. The mall in IF is not the only place where lots of kids have piercings. There is a mall in Pearl City on Oahu called Pearlridge Mall that is off-limits for Mormon missionaries because it has a bad reputation. I’ve gone to Pearlridge and noticed the prevalence of gang-related symbols, clothing, tattoos, and lots of piercings. Personally, I don’t like piercings and I don’t have my ears pierced. It’s kind of a sick idea when you think about it, mutilating your body to stick a jewel in it. It gets worse with rods and gauges. Anyway, the church has something to say about piercings too. Church leaders say that girls should only wear 1 pair of earrings and that boys shouldn’t wear any. Unfortunately, the trend in society is toward flashiness and piercings. I think that the increase in multiple piercings among young people is a physical manifestation of our society’s moral decline.

photo: healthjockey.com

Thanksgiving Break

Me and the Purses before our awesome Thanksgiving meal.

I had a great Thanksgiving break! I spent Thanksgiving with the Purse family in Rexburg, ID. Before I left Utah everyone warned me that Rexburg is really cold and that Idaho winds are brutal. It was colder in Idaho than in Provo but we spent most of our time indoors and especially in the Purse’s “poor-man’s home theater,” which consists of a brand new projector and a wall that Brother Purse painted white to serve as the screen. We watched Super 8, Iron Man 2, X-Men First Class, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Captain America, and The Last Samurai. Judging by these guy-flicks, you’d think that I was in a house full of men, but actually the Purse family has four girls and one boy, all of whom are my age and older. There were also a couple of other boys there (a husband and a roommate) who tagged along like me. I had a great time with the Purses. I had my own room(!), I got to sleep in every day, I forgot to do any homework, I learned to make pie crust and sew buttons back onto my coat, and most importantly I reconnected with the Purses. They are an awesome family and they are great examples to me. Brother Purse is my dad’s best friend from BYU and they have kept in touch. They will call each other every few weeks and talk for hours. Brother Purse is really cool. He is a religion teacher at BYU-I and he especially loves to teach World Religions. He talks a lot about Buddhism and meditation and the things he taught me really resonated with me. One piece of advice that Brother Purse gave me is to enjoy the time that I have right now, as a freshman in college. He says that this is the most carefree time that I will ever have. Brother Purse encouraged me to think about what I am grateful for every day and to notice things like the snow on Mount Timpanogos and the sound of the bell tower. I will definitely take his advice and if anyone is reading this I encourage you to do the same. I can’t wait for next thanksgiving!

Personal Narrative Draft

A Gold Pearl 

What am I doing here? I’m being assaulted from all sides by old Chinese women gushing about how much taller I’ve grown. Whoever figured it takes fewer muscles to smile than frown was totally full of it because this phony smile is taking tremendous effort. Mandarin Chinese sounds so angry—it’s like everyone around me is threatening to rip each others’ throats out. As if it’s not already loud enough in this cramped room, some politician is on stage rambling about how he cares so much about all of us here in the Taiwan Quasi-Consulate celebrating Taiwan’s Independence Day. I’d love some personal space, but I feel my mother’s manicured claws digging into my shoulder, forcing me into submission.

            My mother represented all things Chinese, especially discipline. I perceived her as a vengeful little woman, ripped out of her native culture and thrust into unfamiliar territory, but armed with an explosive temperament on a short fuse. My mother worked her way up to becoming an intimidating presence in the Western world, but she still fell back on her Chinese background when it came to exerting her authority over her family, mostly by dumping her stress on us with her most colorful Chinese curse words. She was like a judge with the manner of an army boot camp instructor, pounding out commands with the jarring blows of a gavel striking the sound block and leaving me trembling. My strict obedience to her laws was imperative, lest my mother transform into the even more terrible form of a dragon lady, shooting flames of wrath that scorch my ears. I had concluded long ago that my mother ordered me to attend these Chinese parties because it increased her power over me. She seemed to draw strength from these concentrations of Chinese culture like a snake basking in the white sun depicted on the gigantic flag of Taiwan hanging on the wall.

            Suddenly, a wave of cheers crashes over me and sucks my attention back into this crowded room. The head of the Consulate has just concluded his speech, and some of the partiers begin to flow out onto the lawn. I tear out of my mother’s grasp and locate my dad and sister lounging on the grass, chatting and admiring the beauty of the lush Nu`uanu Valley. I exhale and let the relief wash the venom toward this party and toward my mother out of my system. Looking upward, I gaze in wonder at the pale blue sky, capable of holding a warm sun or violent thunderstorm, but currently clear and serene. Can I be as open as the sky, and let the storm pass so I can find the sun? I wonder. Although I am drained from years of animosity with my mother, I want to gain a fresh perspective.

            I observe my mother from a distance. She hops from party to party, chirping away in her sing-song voice, and flocks of her friends welcome and embrace her. My mother’s energy seems to revive those around her, making them strong and youthful. Her tireless smiles are like sunbeams on her friends' faces, making everyone she greets more radiant. People like my mother because she likes herself—her self-assurance sparks confidence in those around her. All around my mother are delightful squeals of “Jinzhen!”—her Chinese name, which translates to “Gold Pearl.” I realize that my mom is just that--a gold pearl.

            "Hua, want some food?"

            I had not noticed the dull ache in my stomach. I was too busy admiring my mom as she sashayed around the room in her cute dress and three-inch heels. But my dad's question brings me back into what feels like me, only lighter. I cannot shake this realization, and wanting someone to concur, I ask to my dad in a sly voice, “Hey dad, you know you’re with the hottest woman here, right?”

            His eyes roam over the crowd until he finds mom laughing playfully. He lets them rest on her and says, “Yep.”

            As we leave the party, I feel a feather light touch push my bangs back out of my face and rest on my shoulder.

            “Hao buhao wan?” asks my mom, wondering if I had a good time.

            “Shide,” I respond, letting her know I did.

            “Picture time!” shouts a small man brandishing a large professional-looking camera. It’s our family’s turn to take a picture with the Taiwan Consul-General. I give him a bright, genuine smile that I hope will not pale in comparison to my mom’s glowing pearly whites.

Nuclear Power Plants

Homer running away from the Springfield nuclear power plant

As much as I dislike chemistry, I will admit that chemistry has some real-life application not only for scientists but also for ordinary citizens who want a better understanding of current issues, especially concerning nuclear power. I just finished my Physical Science 100 reading two minutes ago and now I’m looking at an article posted in the International Section of the NY Times forty-five minutes ago. It talks about how on Nov. 2 Japan reopened one of its nuclear power plants in Fukushima, but workers have already discovered radioactive particles caused by nuclear fission and are rushing to prevent a chain reaction. Sounds dangerous, but what does this mean in non-science language? Let me enlighten you!

There are interactions within atomic nuclei called “strong nuclear forces” that are short-range but can produce a huge amount of energy. This energy can be obtained through “fusion” or “fission.” Fusion is combining nuclei to form more massive nuclei and release a lot of energy. You can make fusion happen to atoms by heating them atoms to ridiculously high temperatures. Fusion is great because it does not produce radioactive byproducts. However, no one can figure out how to sustain fusion temperatures in a controlled way.

So nuclear power plants, like those in Japan, use fission. Fission is splitting very large atoms into smaller atoms and releasing a lot of energy. Sorry but here is where it gets science-ish. The energy needed to split the atoms comes from free neutrons (neutral particles in the nucleus) released from a previous fission. These neutrons are absorbed by a fuel atom, usually uranium. They destabilize uranium, causing it to break apart into more neutrons that will be absorbed by more uranium atoms. This sequence of fissions triggering more fissions is a “chain reaction.” Nuclear power plants use fission to produce energy by harnessing the energy, which is released as heat, and converting it into electricity. Fission is easy to control but not the ideal method for producing power because fuel elements like uranium are not abundant in nature and byproducts are radioactive.

Workers at Japan’s nuclear plant discovered unexpected bursts of fission that evidently occurred very recently, indicating that there is uncontrolled fission occurring within fuel deep inside the plant. While these bursts will not lead to a large-scale nuclear reaction and cause a lot of damage like the ones during the tsunami/earthquake did, they still increase the amount of radioactive waste leaking from the plant and add to the cleanup effort. So far workers have injected boric acid into the fuel, which soaks up the neutrons that trigger fission. Japan hopes to shut down its plants by the end of the year.

I’m not a fan of nuclear power plants. I think they produce a lot of dangerous waste and are a huge threat to the environment and to humans. Unfortunately I don’t have a solution, and neither does my Physical Science textbook. And with the human population now at 7 billion, I think it’s vital that some smart chemists devise a safer method for producing energy and that governments and citizens support their efforts.

photo: enewssubscriptions.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/03/world/asia/bursts-of-fission-detected-at-fukushima-reactor-in-japan.html?_r=1&ref=world

Light

Pres. Thomas S. Monson. Love this guy.

Today President Monson delivered the devotional address at 11am in the Marriott Center. Everyone was really excited to hear him speak and some people even camped out in front of the Marriott and stayed the night! I think that their effort was worthwhile because his talk was incredible. Pres. Monson spoke about being a light to the world through our good examples. He shared three powerful stories that illustrated his point and effectively used pathos to evoke strong feelings in his audience. Yeah, I just applied what we learned in Writing 150. I went there. The first story was about a church member who despite his rigorous academic schedule as a Rhodes Scholar studying at Oxford, took an hour every night to read the Book of Mormon and gain a testimony of its truthfulness. I think this story was really applicable for college students and I know it spoke to me. I’m not even close to being as smart as this guy (I changed my major just to avoid taking economics classes, and here he is majoring in some economics major that should take a normal person three years and only took him two! Not to mention the fact that I am not a Rhodes Scholar and he is), but I’m a student with homework and I sometimes feel too busy to read my scriptures. After hearing Pres. Monson’s talk, however, I feel like I should make scripture study a higher priority. Pres. Monson did not even ask us to read them for an hour a night, but just to set aside some time during our day to do so, and I plan to start doing that. The second story was about a Catholic woman from Utah who used to feel animosity toward the LDS church but after witnessing the faith and compassion of two church members changed her perspective. I liked this story because it shows the importance of simply being an example and practicing what you believe. The final story was a very touching story about a missionary in Canada who was hospitalized and had to undergo complicated surgery. Nonetheless, he maintained a positive spirit and continued to teach the gospel by sharing his belief with his fellow patients, who were so moved that they fasted for him during his surgery. Heavenly Father blessed his missionary by guiding the surgeon, who acknowledged that a higher power directed his work and did not charge the missionary’s family for the surgery. I liked this story a lot and I thought about the love that missionaries have toward the people around them and how much Heavenly Father cares about missionaries. It reminded me of my two favorite cousins who are currently serving in Paris and Singapore. This was an awesome devotional and I am grateful to attend a college that values our spirituality enough to set aside time in our schedules and provide weekly devotionals.

photo: news.byu.edu